


The Snowball Incident

by peterpxrkerscurls



Series: Christmas with the Stark's (and rest of the family) [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: And Tony Stark is having none of it, Concerned Tony Stark, Father-Son Relationship, Flash is a dick, Fluff, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, I promise, Iron Dad, Iron dad and Spider son, Kid Peter Parker, Mostly Fluff, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker - Freeform, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Protective Tony Stark, Snow, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, Uncle Happy, Worried Tony Stark, but nothing serious, nose bleed, snowballs, spider son, tony stark - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-23 01:55:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17071262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peterpxrkerscurls/pseuds/peterpxrkerscurls
Summary: Peter is not happy about the snow that has finally fallen in the city, and for that he can thank no other than Flash Thompson. So, when Peter returns home from school with a bloody nose, Tony Stark realizes someone is bothering his kid and has been for a while now. Of course, he's having none of it.





	The Snowball Incident

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I would like to thank you all for the kudos and comments I received on the last chapter. It made me beyond happy that you guys liked it! Thanks for that. :)  
> If you haven't yet read the first chapter, you're more than welcome to do so. It is not necessary, though. The stories are in chronological order but can still be read alone. :)
> 
> And I still don't own anything you recognize. Sadly, nothing has changed there. 
> 
> Enjoy! <3

The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day for the many students at Midtown. In between all the other students, Peter Stark slowly made his way down the hall. Soon, he was joined by his best friend Ned Leeds, who wore an uneasy look on his face.

“Bad news, Peter,” Ned said, clearly on edge. “It’s snowing.”

“Yeah, Ned, I saw that already,” Peter answered, wincing slightly. “We’re just gonna have to be fast.”

Usually, Peter loved when it was snowing. He’d always loved it when the whole city was covered in a bright layer of freshly fallen snow. It was such a beautiful sight and especially in December because it always added to the Christmas-y feeling that was filling the air. But ever since Peter had started school, he hadn’t been very fond of the wintry weather. And that was all thanks to one certain bully from his class. Flash Thompson whose goal - for some unknown reason - was to make Peter’s school years as miserable as possible. So, when Peter wasn’t happy about the snow, it wasn’t because he didn’t like it. It was because he knew who’d be waiting for him outside in the school yard with hundreds of snowballs already made beforehand.

“Maybe he’s not even out there,” Ned tried to reassure his friend. Peter only shrugged and tried to stifle a cough. He still wasn’t feeling all too well, but he’d insisted he was okay when his dad had wanted him to stay home for one more day. He regretted that now.

“Maybe not,” Peter mumbled quietly, but he knew better than that. If Flash wasn’t already out there, impatiently waiting for Peter to come out so he could throw a snowball right at his face, it would be the first time  _ever_. Peter didn’t think he would be so lucky. And, unfortunately, he was right.

The school yard was packed with students when Peter and Ned made it outside. They were both hurrying through the crowd of many people, trying to avoid the snow everyone was throwing at each other. The boys’ eyes were looking over every student, trying to see if they could spot Flash among all the others. Peter and Ned had almost reached the parking lot when suddenly Ned’s feet slipped on some ice. Peter didn’t even have the time to blink before his friend was lying on the ground, clothes all soaked because of the snow.

“Ned!” Peter exclaimed, immediately moving towards his friend. “Are you okay?”

Ned sat up slowly and accepted his friend’s hand, letting Peter help him to his feet. “I’m okay,” Ned confirmed quietly. “You know I’m just really clumsy.” Peter looked at his friend with a small smile and gently tugged on his arm. “C’mon, Ned. Let’s get outta here before Flash arrives.”

But just as he had said that, someone shouted his name from somewhere behind them, and Peter, acting purely on instinct, turned around to see who it was. He soon realized how big a mistake that had been. The kid hadn’t even turned fully around before a big snowball collided with his face. He was certain Flash had dipped the snow in water because it had been as hard as ice, and now Peter’s nose was paying the price. He winced and immediately cupped his nose which was dripping with blood, eyes filling with tears of pain.

“I’m sorry, Penis! I didn’t see you there,” Flash said innocently but with a scornful look on his face. This time, it was Ned who pulled at Peter’s jacket. He shot Flash a dark glare and tugged his friend out into the parking lot. He hurriedly found a tissue in his backpack and handed it to Peter.

“Thanks, Ned,” the boy mumbled, gently pressing the tissue against his nose. Embarrassed, he tried to blink away the tears in his eyes.

“He shouldn’t get away with that,” Ned grumbled, once again glaring at Flash who was still laughing with his friends.

“Just leave it be,” Peter told him as he looked around the parking lot, eyes landing on a familiar car. Ned was about to protest, but Peter cut him off before he could say anything. “I’m okay, Ned. It doesn’t even hurt that much.”

Ned looked like he didn’t believe his friend at all, but he still chose to drop the matter. For now, at least. “Are someone coming to pick you up?” he asked instead.

Peter nodded, looking towards the expensive car parked a few feet away. “Happy is picking me up today. Actually, he’s right over there, probably getting a bit impatient.”

“Guess I’ll just see you tomorrow, then.”

Peter nodded with a smile in spite of his aching nose. “See you tomorrow.”

After doing their usual handshake, Peter made his way towards the car. He opened the door and crawled into the backseat, placing his backpack at his feet. “Hey, uncle Happy,” the boy greeted, not noticing the man’s tight grip on the steering wheel. “What happened to your face, kid?” Happy asked, voice tight.

“Oh… um, that,” Peter stuttered, looking at his feet instead of meeting the man’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Someone hit me with a snowball, but it was… um, it was an accident.”

“Y’know, it didn’t really look like an accident to me.” At that, Peter looked up at the man in front of him, a nervous look on his face. “You… um, you saw that?”

“I saw some kid purposely throwing a snowball at your face,” Happy informed him, sounding anything but pleased. “Is he bothering you?”

Peter immediately shook his head. “No, Happy! No, he’s not bothering me at all. It was just an accident, s’all.”

Happy grumbled incoherently but started the car without another fuss. A few seconds later, he said, “I’m telling your dad about this, y’know.”

“No, Happy, please! I already told you it was an accident,” Peter exclaimed, straightening in his seat. “Dad already has so much to think about with the team and being Iron Man and stuff. He doesn’t have to worry about this, too.”

“Peter, you know your dad wants to know if something, or  _someone_ , is bothering you, and since you won’t tell him about it, then I will.” Peter slumped back in his seat, a defeated sigh escaping his lips. “I’m sorry, kid, but I’m just doing my job.”

The rest of the ride was driven in silence, and it wasn’t long before Happy drove into the Tower’s garage and parked the car. Peter was wiping at his nose which had finally stopped bleeding, but he couldn’t seem to get all of the blood off his face. With a sigh, the kid stepped into the elevator, Happy at his side.

“Hello, young Peter,” JARVIS greeted when the elevator doors closed in front of them. “How was your day at school?”

“Hi, JARVIS. It was fine, thanks,” Peter answered a bit hesitantly, eyes on the ceiling. The kid loved JARVIS, but he never knew where exactly he was supposed to be looking when talking to the AI.

“Should I inform boss of your arrival?”

Peter was about to answer, but Happy beat him to it. “Yes, JARVIS, thank you.”

The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival at the private living areas. Peter stepped out into the living room and immediately caught sight of his dad. Judging by the oil stained T-shirt he was wearing, Tony Stark had probably just come from his lab. He was smiling, but it immediately turned into worry when he caught sight of the blood on his son’s face. “What happened to your face, buddy?” He reached out and gently touched Peter’s nose, eyes concerned when the boy winced slightly. At least it didn’t look like the nose was broken.

“S’nothing, dad. It was just an accident.”

Happy, who’d gone to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee, huffed quietly. “If you call ‘throwing a snowball right in your face on purpose’ an accident, then yes, it was.”

“What?” Tony asked, eyes watching Happy with a questioning gaze before moving back to look at his son once again. “Is that true, Peter?”

The kid sighed and looked down at his feet. “It’s… it’s nothing, dad.”

“So, someone  _did_ throw a snowball on purpose?” Tony tried to keep his voice calm for Peter’s sake. “Is there someone bothering you?”

The boy shook his head. “No… it’s nothing, I… can we just not talk about this? I’m tired.” Peter turned on his heel and went to sit on the couch, his arms folded around his knees and eyes staring at nothing in particular. The genius watched his son for a moment, then turned his gaze to Happy and silently asked him to give Tony and Peter a moment to themselves. Happy got the message and left the room without a word, coffee in hand.

Tony grabbed an ice bag from the fridge, wrapped it in a tea towel and then slowly made his way over to the couch. Peter looked so small as he was sitting there, arms still wrapped around his knees.

“Here you go, squirt,” Tony said as he sat down beside his son and handed him the ice bag. “To prevent the bruise from swelling.” Peter accepted the ice without a word, hand slowly reaching up to rest it against his nose. After a few minutes of silence, Tony couldn’t take it anymore. “You know I would want to know if anything was bothering you, right Pete?” When the kid didn’t answer, the genius added, “And I mean  _anything_. You can talk to me, buddy. You always can.”

Peter was silent for a little while and then, “I know, daddy, it’s just… I want you to be proud of me, and I don’t want you to worry about me more than you already do. I want to show you that I can handle this.” The boy’s voice was barely audible. He was looking at his feet, refusing to meet his dad’s eyes.

“Look at me, Peter.” Tony gently placed his hand on Peter’s arm and the kid’s gaze hesitantly lifted to meet his dad’s soft eyes. “It’s very important that you understand there’s nothing you could ever do that wouldn’t make me proud of you. I’ll  _always_ be proud of you, Pete.  _Always_. But if there’s ever something bothering you, I  _will_ worry about it, because I’m your dad and it’s just what I do. Because I love you.” He paused, giving Peter the time to let the words sink in. After a few moments, he added, “You shouldn’t have to handle anything on your own, buddy, so, please tell me what’s going on.” He ran his hand slowly up and down the kid’s arm in a soothing gesture.

It was quiet for a little while, but then, Peter slowly began to talk.

“It’s just… there’s this boy at school… he…” the boy trailed off, eyes once again trained on his feet. He didn’t know exactly how he should tell his father, but Tony waited patiently, giving his son the time to find the right words. “For some reason, this boy doesn’t seem to like me very much. He’s been… he’s been calling me names and he likes to make me trip in the hallways, and… well, it was also him who threw the snowball.”

Peter looked at his lap, still not wanting to meet his dad’s gaze, and Tony was happy Peter couldn’t see the anger in his eyes right now. He wouldn’t want the kid to think the anger was directed at him, because it was not. It was directed at that excuse of a boy who was making his son miserable. He was outright furious that someone had the nerve to pick on his son and Tony hadn’t even known about it.

“Who is this boy?” the man asked, voice surprisingly calm. “What’s his name?”

Peter slowly shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, dad. I already told you I can handle it.”

“But you shouldn’t have to handle something like this, Peter! I can’t allow that someone is mistreating my son!” Tony unintentionally raised his voice, but he immediately sobered when he saw Peter’s body flinch slightly. “I’m sorry, Pete, I didn’t mean to yell at you.” The billionaire opened his arms and pulled his son into a hug. The kid rested his head on the man’s arc reactor, enjoying the quiet hum.

“It’s okay, dad.”

“You know I would do anything to make sure you’re happy, right?” The boy just nodded quietly against his father’s chest.

“Therefore, I need to make sure that this boy won’t bother you again.”

Peter lifted his head from where it rested on the arc reactor, his brown doe eyes boring into Tony’s. “But I don’t want to make him even more mad at me, and I don’t think he would like me telling an adult about all of this.”

Tony sighed and ran a hand through the kid’s curls. “You did the right thing to tell me about this, buddy. You shouldn’t have to deal with this alone.”

Peter was quiet for a few seconds, then he shrugged, “I have Ned,” he stated slowly.

Tony’s brow formed into a deep frown. “Is this kid bothering Ned, too?”

“Well, a bit, but not as much as me. I think Flash hates me the mo—” Peter immediately shut up like a clam, but he knew the damage was already done. He couldn’t take back what he’d just said.

“It’s okay, Peter,” the genius assured his son, squeezing Peter’s shoulder gently. “I promise you this Flash kid won’t bother you or Ned, or anyone else for that matter, ever again.”

Peter looked at his father, eyes adorably huge. “You sure?”

Tony nuzzled the boy’s hair, a small smile on his face. “Positive.”

Peter smiled in contentment and happily snuggled closer to the genius, enjoying the feeling of his dad’s hands running through his hair. But it was only a few minutes until the kid suddenly sat upright, staring into Tony’s eyes seriously. “You’re not gonna go all…  _Iron Man_ on him, right dad?”

The billionaire couldn’t help but laugh a little at the look on his son’s face. “No, squirt. Even though I would probably enjoy letting Iron Man give this Flash kid a lesson or two, some people would probably think it very irresponsible and unprofessional of me.”

Peter’s eyebrows lifted into an amused smirk. He looked way too adorable for his own good.

“By ´some people´ you mean Pepper, right?”

Tony winked and smirked down at his son. “You got me, kiddo.”

 

Later that night when Peter had been put to bed, Tony was sitting at the kitchen counter, a laptop and a cup of coffee in front of him. He looked up when footsteps could suddenly be heard from the hallway.

“Is Peter asleep?” Pepper asked as she came to stand beside the genius, a hand resting on his arm.

“Yes,” Tony confirmed quietly, sighing in pleasure when the woman began to massage his shoulders. “He’s been for a while now.”

“You look like someone who’s in great need of some rest, too. You coming to bed?”

Tony gave a small smile and nodded. “I’ll be joining you in a few minutes,” he said and looked down at the laptop in front of him. “There’s just one little thing I need to do first.”

Pepper looked at the man suspiciously but decided not to question anything. “I’m way too tired to even ask. Please don’t do anything stupid.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, honey,” Tony chuckled, and once again, quiet footsteps could be heard moving down the hallway and it was only when the genius heard the sound of Pepper closing their bedroom door that Tony spoke, “JARVIS, I need you to search up a kid named Flash from Peter’s school.”

“On it, boss,” the AI replied immediately. A few moments later, a picture of a boy around Peter’s age appeared on the screen. Underneath was some personal information, and Tony quickly found an email that belonged to the kid’s parents.

“Well, Eugene Thompson, I think today was the last time you ever bothered my son.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think? Not much Christmas in this but there sure was some Iron dad. ;) Was it good? Or could something have been done differently? Please let me know in a comment, because those seriously make my day! :)
> 
> Again, thank you guys so much for reading, and I hope to see you again in the next chapter. :)


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